Council moves to hire independent investigator to audit Housing Authority

The Richmond City Council will hire an independent auditor to investigate systemic issues of work order responsiveness within the Housing Authority.

The Housing Authority, which has been plagued by media reports of financial malfeasance and public housing neglect, has a “credibility problem,” said City Manager Bill Lindsay. The reports showed residents living under leaking roofs with rats and mold.

In the weeks since the disclosures by the Center for Investigative Reporting, KQED and The San Francisco Chronicle, the council has struggled with finger-pointing and infighting. Last night was no different. Mayor Gayle McLaughlin called two recesses during discussion of the Housing Authority audit.

Council members expressed frustration that more hasn’t been done to help the public housing residents who are living in unsafe and unsanitary conditions.

“People continue to live in deplorable conditions, and we’re talking and doing nothing but talking and talking,” Councilmember Nat Bates said.